NAME
CGI::Application::Plugin::ValidateRM - Help validate CGI::Application
run modes using Data::FormValidator
SYNOPSIS
use CGI::Application::Plugin::ValidateRM;
my $results = $self->check_rm('form_display','_form_profile') || return $self->check_rm_error_page;
# Optionally, you can pass additional options to HTML::FillInForm->fill()
my $results = $self->check_rm('form_display','_form_profile', { fill_password => 0 })
|| return $self->check_rm_error_page;
DESCRIPTION
CGI::Application::Plugin::ValidateRM helps to validate web forms when
using the CGI::Application framework and the Data::FormValidator module.
check_rm()
Validates a form displayed in a run mode with a "Data::FormValidator"
profile, returning the results and possibly an a version of the form
page with errors marked on the page.
In scalar context, it returns simply the Data::FormValidator::Results
object which conveniently evaluates to false in a boolean context if
there were any missing or invalide fields. This is the recommended
calling convention.
In list context, it returns the results object followed by the error
page, if any. This was the previous recommended syntax, and was used
like this:
my ($results,$err_page) = $self->check_rm('form_display','_form_profile');
return $err_page if $err_page;
The inputs are as follows:
Return run mode
This run mode will be used to generate an error page, with the form
re-filled (using HTML::FillInForm) and error messages in the form.
This page will be returned as a second output parameter.
The errors will be passed in as a hash reference, which can then be
handed to a templating system for display. Following the above
example, the form_display() routine might look like:
sub form_display {
my $self = shift;
my $errs = shift; # load_tmpl('form_display.html');
$t->param($errs) if $errs; # 0" to the
HTML::Template constructor to prevent the presence of the "err_"
tokens from triggering an error when the errors are *not* being
displayed.
Data::FormValidator profile
This can either be provided as a hash reference, or as the name of a
CGI::Application method that will return such a hash reference.
HTML::FillInForm options (optional)
If desired, you can pass additional options to the HTML::FillInForm
fill() method through a hash reference. See an example above.
Additional Options
To control things even more, you can set parameters in your
CGI::Application object itself.
dfv_defaults
The value of the 'dfv_defaults' param is optionally used to pass
defaults to the Data::FormValidator new() constructor.
$self->param(dfv_defaults => { filters => ['trim'] })
By setting this to a hash reference of defaults in your
"cgiapp_init" routine in your own super-class, you could make it
easy to share some default settings for Data::FormValidator across
several forms. Of course, you could also set parameter through an
instance script via the PARAMS key.
Here's an example that I've used:
sub cgiapp_init {
my $self = shift;
# Set some defaults for DFV unless they already exist.
$self->param('dfv_defaults') ||
$self->param('dfv_defaults', {
missing_optional_valid => 1,
filters => 'trim',
msgs => {
any_errors => 'err__',
prefix => 'err_',
invalid => 'Invalid',
missing => 'Missing',
format => '%s',
},
});
}
Now all my applications that inherit from a super class with this
"cgiapp_init()" routine and have these defaults, so I don't have to
add them to every profile.
dfv_fif_class
By default this plugin uses HTML::FillInForm to fill in the forms on
the error pages with the given values. This option let's you change
that so it uses an HTML::FillInForm compatible class (like a
subclass) to do the same work.
$self->param(dfv_fif_class => 'HTML::FillInForm::SuperDuper');
dfv_fif_defaults
The value of the 'dfv_fif_defaults' param is optionally used to pass
defaults to the HTML::FillInForm "fill()" method.
$self->param(dfv_fif_defaults => {ignore_fields => ['rm']})
By setting this to a hash reference of defaults in your
"cgiapp_init" routine in your own super-class, you could make it
easy to share some default settings for HTML::FillInForm across
several forms. Of course, you could also set parameter through an
instance script via the PARAMS key.
CGI::Application::Plugin::Forward support
Experimental support has been added for
CGI::Application::Plugin::Forward, which keeps the current run mode up
to date. This would be useful if you were automatically generating a
template name based on the run mode name, and you wanted this to work
with the form run mode used with ::ValidateRM.
If we detect that ::Forward is loaded, we will set the current run mode
name to be accurate while the error page is being generated, and then
set it back to the previous value afterwards. There is a caveat: This
currently only works when the run name name is the same as the
subroutine name for the form page. If they differ, the current run mode
name inside of the form page will be inaccurate. If this is a problem
for you, get in touch to discuss a solution.
check_rm_error_page()
After check_rm() is called this accessor method can be used to retrieve
the error page described in the check_rm() docs above. The method has an
alias named "dfv_error_page()" if you find that more intuitive.
dfv_results()
$self->dfv_results;
After "check_rm()" or "validate_rm()" has been called, the DFV results
object can also be accessed through this method. I expect this to be
most useful to other plugin authors.
validate_rm()
Works like "check_rm" above, but returns the old style $valid hash
reference instead of the results object. It's no longer recommended, but
still supported.
EXAMPLE
In a CGI::Application module:
# This is the run mode that will be validated. Notice that it accepts
# some errors to be passed in, and on to the template system.
sub form_display {
my $self = shift;
my $errs = shift;
my $t = $self->load_tmpl('page.html');
$t->param($errs) if $errs;
return $t->output;
}
sub form_process {
my $self = shift;
use CGI::Application::Plugin::ValidateRM (qw/check_rm/);
my ($results, $err_page) = $self->check_rm('form_display','_form_profile');
return $err_page if $err_page;
#.. do something with DFV $results object now
my $t = $self->load_tmpl('success.html');
return $t->output;
}
sub _form_profile {
return {
required => 'email',
msgs => {
any_errors => 'some_errors',
prefix => 'err_',
},
};
}
In page.html:

Some fields below are missing or invalid

SEE ALSO
CGI::Application, Data::FormValidator, HTML::FillInForm, perl(1)
AUTHOR
Mark Stosberg
MAILING LIST
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post them to the support mailing list! This the Data::FormValidator
list. To join the mailing list, visit
LICENSE
Copyright (C) 2003-2005 Mark Stosberg
This module is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of either:
a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) any later version,
or
b) the "Artistic License"
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See either the GNU
General Public License or the Artistic License for more details.
For a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if
not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite
330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA